An unpleasant new report claims that many hospitals in major metro areas are struggling with the growing problem of “permanent patients.”

What’s a “permanent patient”? According to the New York Times they are mostly illegal immigrants or people who lack insurance or their own housing that the hospital cannot turn away.

The Times defines a “permanent patient”:

…[someone who has] been languishing for months or even years in…hospitals, despite being well enough to be sent home or to nursing centers for less-expensive care, because they are illegal immigrants or lack sufficient insurance or appropriate housing.

Of course, having dozens of patients hanging around that long means these hospitals are absorbing the bill for millions of dollars in unreimbursed expenses annually.

Unsurprisingly, the majority of these “permanent patients” are illegal immigrants because, as mentioned in the above, they have no housing or family in the area.

AmPat

01-05-2012, 09:33 PM

Ain't Utopia wonderful?:rolleyes:
Atlas isn't going to have a chance to shrug, his back is nearly broken.:mad: